Actor. An outstanding character player of stage and screen. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, he studied for a career in business before turning to acting in the years following World War I (WWI). As a member of New York City's progressive Group Theatre from 1934 to 1940, he originated major roles in seven plays by Clifford Odets, among them "Waiting for Lefty" (1935), "Awake and Sing!" (1935) and "Golden Boy" (1937). He made his movie debut in 1938. Although he preferred the theatre, Bohnen settled in Hollywood in 1941 because he needed the income to support his ailing wife. A small, prematurely wizened man with a meek-sounding voice, Bohnen was typically cast as world-weary old losers or well-meaning but ineffectual authority figures. He is unforgettable as the pathetic Candy in "Of Mice and Men" (1939) and as Dana Andrews' proud father in "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946). His other films include "Edge of Darkness" (1943), "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "None But the Lonely Heart" (1944), "A Bell for Adano" (1945), "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946), "Brute Force" (1947) and "Joan of Arc" (1948). Bohnen founded the controversial Actors' Lab in Hollywood and suffered a fatal heart attack onstage in its production of "Distant Isle". Actress Lee Grant, who delivered his eulogy, attributed his death to pressure from the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating him as an alleged Communist sympathizer; he likely would have been blacklisted (as Grant was) had he lived.
Actor. An outstanding character player of stage and screen. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, he studied for a career in business before turning to acting in the years following World War I (WWI). As a member of New York City's progressive Group Theatre from 1934 to 1940, he originated major roles in seven plays by Clifford Odets, among them "Waiting for Lefty" (1935), "Awake and Sing!" (1935) and "Golden Boy" (1937). He made his movie debut in 1938. Although he preferred the theatre, Bohnen settled in Hollywood in 1941 because he needed the income to support his ailing wife. A small, prematurely wizened man with a meek-sounding voice, Bohnen was typically cast as world-weary old losers or well-meaning but ineffectual authority figures. He is unforgettable as the pathetic Candy in "Of Mice and Men" (1939) and as Dana Andrews' proud father in "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946). His other films include "Edge of Darkness" (1943), "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "None But the Lonely Heart" (1944), "A Bell for Adano" (1945), "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946), "Brute Force" (1947) and "Joan of Arc" (1948). Bohnen founded the controversial Actors' Lab in Hollywood and suffered a fatal heart attack onstage in its production of "Distant Isle". Actress Lee Grant, who delivered his eulogy, attributed his death to pressure from the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating him as an alleged Communist sympathizer; he likely would have been blacklisted (as Grant was) had he lived.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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